


found your lips in the street lights

by fangirl_squee, madelinestarr



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Texting, bowling, very background Lem/Emmanuel, very very background Hadrian/Rosana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 03:50:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12246426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl_squee/pseuds/fangirl_squee, https://archiveofourown.org/users/madelinestarr/pseuds/madelinestarr
Summary: Ten pin bowling and the dating grey area.





	found your lips in the street lights

**Author's Note:**

> this sort of started as a sequel to 'only fools rush in' and then it kind of got away from us a little, as is our way.
> 
> thanks to Sophie for betaing!! You are a superstar and we would be lost without you.

Hella flexed her hand over the line of bowling balls, waiting for hers to come back up.

 

“Come on, Hella!” said Throndir from the seats behind her.

 

She glanced back at them-- Throndir smiling at her encouragingly, Lem absorbed in texting someone (probably Emmanuel), and Fero who was taking advantage of Lem’s distraction to steal some of his cheese fries. When he saw her looking at him he gave her a thumbs up, and she laughed.

 

“Yeah, come on Hella,” said Hadrian.

 

Adaire shushed him. “Wrong team, Hadrian!”

 

“I wasn’t being encouraging,” said Hadrian. “I’m hassling her, you know, to break her focus with a distraction.”

 

Hella rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to do better than  _ that _ .”

 

The real distraction came as she flicked her gaze back to her own group in time to see Fero wrap his lips around the straw of Lem’s drink, a halo of green neon lights from the arcade behind him. She looked away quickly, taking a breath.

 

She and Fero were Just Friends. And anyway, what she really wanted was to win this dumb bowling thing they’re doing.

 

She took a deep breath in through her nose, rolling the ball on the exhale. She watched it go, allowing herself a smirk at the strike, raising her eyebrow at Hadrian as she walked back to her seat.

 

Fero pushed Lem’s fries towards her as she sat down, and she took one, nudging Lem with her elbow.

 

“Are you actually going to eat any of these?” said Hella.

 

“Of course I-- hey!” said Lem, looking up from his phone to see Fero taking another handful.

 

“What?” said Fero, around a mouthful of food.

 

There was the clatter of pins over their bickering-- Ephrim had gotten a strike too, earning a pleased nod from Adaire and Fantasmo and an enthusiastic clap on the back from Hadrian.

 

“My turn, I think?” said Throndir.

 

Lem’s phone buzzed, and he smiled down at it as he typed out a reply. Fero slid Lem’s fries closer to himself and Hella. Hella laughed, eating a few before she glanced up at the scoreboard. The scores were pretty close, with their team only ahead by two and one round to go. They weren’t playing for anything really, except maybe bragging rights.

 

Hella  _ would _ like those bragging rights.

 

“You think we’re gonna win?” said Fero, snatching some more of Lem’s fries.

 

Hella shrugged. “Maybe. Depends how this next round goes.”

 

“Well, you don’t have to worry about  _ me _ ,” said Fero. “I took bowling classes, I’m great at this.”

 

“Is that so?” said Hella, amused.

 

“Yep,” said Fero, grinning up at her, “I have  _ amazing _ form.”

 

Hella pressed her lips together to suppress a laugh.  _ Amazing form _ was not exactly how she would describe Fero’s bowling abilities. He looked extraordinarily pleased with himself for someone who had mostly just been knocking down half the pins.

 

He bumped their arms together. “We’re a great team and we're gonna win.”

 

Hella’s arm felt hot where it rested against Fero’s. Fero leant back against the cushions of the booth, swinging his legs under the table. They were still close to each other, pressed more closely that they really needed to be in the space of the booth, but she didn’t pull away. Neither did Fero.

 

“We’re  _ totally _ going to win,” said Hella, and took some more of Lem’s fries.

 

\--

 

Fero bounced in his seat as Lem took his shot. It was his turn next. Doing stuff like this, stuff he wasn’t immediately and completely great at in front of a group, always made him little nervous. Watching bowling tutorials on youtube and practice-throwing oranges in the backyard only went so far.

 

Hella also made him feel a little nervous. It always felt like she was watching him more closely when they were on the same team. Although, that might just be from how close they were sitting together. Hella reached across him to grab Lem's drink. 

 

“Think he'll mind?” said Hella, grinning. 

 

“Nah,” said Fero, even though Lem absolutely would.

 

Adaire almost but not  _ quite  _ knocked over her split and Hella whistled, laughing as Adaire glared at her. 

 

“Fero's turn,” said Throndir. 

 

Fero shook himself. “Right.”

 

He had to wriggle past Hella to get out, tripping on the long laces of his rented bowling shoes. Hella put a hand on his side to steady him, warm and solid. Fero hoped no one noticed the flush on his cheeks in the bowling alley’s dim lighting.

 

“Um, thanks,” said Fero. 

 

“Hey, what are teammates for?” said Hella. “Good luck.”

 

“I don't need luck,” said Fero, “I'm a master of bowling.”

 

“Right,” said Hella, grinning at him. “Of course.”

 

Fero picked up the first ball that looked okay, shuffling back, trying to copy the movements he remembered from the tutorial videos. He had to take more steps than they did in the video, probably because the video was made by and for absurdly tall people like Hella, and not perfectly regular sized people like him.

 

His first shot was only okay. He'd been doing  _ only okay _ the whole night, only a little better than Throndir, who had first set foot in a bowling alley six months ago when they started doing this as a regular group hang out. When he went to get his second ball, Throndir gave him a thumbs up. 

 

His second shot was… also only okay, knocking down some of the remaining pins.

 

_ Maybe _ , he thought,  _ next time I should throw it harder. Maybe that's the trick.  _

 

He made a face at Hella as he sat down. “I think I evened our score again.”

 

Hella shrugged. “It's fine.”

 

“I think it's because I didn't take wind resistance into account,” said Fero. 

 

Lem put down his phone. “Wind resistance.”

 

“Yeah,” said Fero, “I know, it's basic stuff, a bowling master such as myself should have known better.”

 

“We're  _ inside _ ,” said Lem. 

 

“A/C resistance,” said Hella. 

 

Fero grinned, pointing at Hella. “Exactly.”

 

Lem huffed a laugh.

 

\--

 

Hella flicked a glance up at the scoreboard. Hadrian's turn, the last for his team, put his team just barely in the lead. She took a deep breath, stepping back to take her shot. 

 

“Go Hella!” yelled Fero, from behind her. 

 

She looked back to see him waving Lem's cardigan above his head like a flag. Several other people not in their group turned to look at him. Hella gave him a small wave back, before turning back to take her shot. 

 

Only one pin remained standing. 

 

Fero came over to her as she was waiting for her ball. 

 

“How you feeling? Need any tips?”

 

Hella had the best scores on the board tonight. She definitely did not. But she was curious, as always, to see what kind of thing Fero was going to say. 

 

“Sure,” said Hella, resting her hip against the ball return machine, “You got any tips?”

 

Fero took a ball, holding it out to her. “Show me your form.”

 

Hella held it like she normally would. It was a little lighter than the one she'd been using. 

 

“Hmm, yes, I see.” Fero's hands fluttered over the ball, lightly touching the back of her hand. 

 

“What's the verdict?” said Hella. 

 

“Pretty much perfect,” said Fero, “Except, um…”

 

“Maybe you should just show me?” said Hella, holding out her arm a little to him. 

 

She was maybe pushing the bounds of  _ platonic _ a little, but they always did. Fero put his arm along hers, his hand over hers to guide its movement. She had to bend a little to match their heights, bringing them closer now than they had been in the booth.

 

“Like that?” said Hella softly. 

 

He was very close to her now, on tiptoes to speak softly into her ear. 

 

“Yeah,” said Fero. 

 

Behind them, someone wolf-whistled. Fero stepped back.

 

“So, yeah,” said Fero quickly, “just do... That.”

 

Hella nodded. She put back the ball they were using and got her own, putting Fero, and the way it had felt to have the warmth of him pressed against her side, to the back of her mind. 

 

\--

 

Fero, Throndir, and Lem let out whoops as Hella knocked over her final pin, sending them into victory.

 

“See, that’s from my tutoring just now,” said Fero. 

 

Lem laughed. “Then why don’t  _ you _ ever get a spare?”

 

“I'm trying to be fair on everyone else,” said Fero primly. 

 

He high fived Hella as she came over to them, ginning widely as she took a sip of Lem's drink. 

 

“Hey!” said Lem. “You know, I haven't even had any of that yet.”

 

“I'll get you another one,” said Hella. “Hadrian's team's buying.”

 

\--

 

_ bowling queen: dinner tonight? To celebrate our bowling victory _

_ non-historical king: Sure _

_ FlockOfAges: yes we are champions who deserve a victory feast _

_ T-dog: sounds great!! _

_ bowling queen: I have a late class but we could meet at 7? _

_ T-dog: wait shit  _

_ T-dog: I can't, I promised I'd help Frond with a thing _

_ FlockOfAges: a Thing huh;);)  _

_ T-dog: not like that!! Well, sort of like that, but also a car thing _

_ T-dog: don't hold off on my account though _

_...non-historical king is typing... _

 

Fero slammed open Lem’s door. “Say you’re busy too.”

 

“What?”

 

“Just-- say you’ve got a date with Emmanuel or something okay?

 

Lem frowned. “But I don’t have a date with Emmanuel, he’s working tonight.”

 

“Just say you do!”

 

“Why?”

 

“No reason,” said Fero. “Not everything I ask you has a deeper reason behind it, and maybe, since we’re friends, you should just trust me and say you’re busy tonight.”

 

Lem frowned. “But then it would just be you and Hella. That's not much of a group dinner.”

 

Fero ignored the faint heat in his cheeks. “So? We can have a nice dinner together, it doesn't need to be this big group all the time.”

 

Lem put his phone down on the bed. “Fero, do you… like Hella?”

 

“What do you mean, of course I like Hella!” said Fero, suddenly feeling like he was talking way too loud, “We’ve been good pals for many a year. Well, two years. Ish.”

 

“Fero.”

 

“Do I  _ like _ Hella, he says!” said Fero.

 

“No, I mean-- do you  _ like- _ like Hella?” said Lem.

 

“Do I  _ like-like _ Hella, what is this, the third grade?”

 

“Well  _ do _ you?”

 

“I--” Fero put his hands in his pockets and then took them out again. “The thing is, with Hella-- what I mean is, when you say  _ like-like _ \--”

 

“Oh my god,” said Lem. He looked down at his phone and then back up at Fero. “Are you … trying to get Hella to go on a date with you?”

 

“What?” said Fero, trying to force out a laugh, “No.”

 

“You just want to have dinner with her,” said Lem. He paused significantly. “ _ Alone _ .”

 

“I mean, what's wrong with small groups!” said Fero. “Just because it's not a big group, two friends can't get dinner together? Is that what you're telling me?”

 

Lem sighed. “Fero... “

 

“No, sorry, I didn't realize that you were the  _ King _ of Dinners,” said Fero, “I didn't realize you invented such strict dinner laws!”

 

“Fine! Fine,” said Lem. He picked up his phone, speaking slowly as he typed. “Sorry guys… I have a date... with Emmanuel… you...should have dinner… without me.” He looked up at Fero. “There, happy?”

 

Fero's phone buzzed in his pocket as Lem sent the message.

 

“Very, thanks.”

 

He pulled the phone out of his pocket as he walked to his room, grinning down at the screen. Dinner with Hella. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: hey did you want to go anyway _

_ FlockOfAges: I mean, it’d just be me _

_ FlockOfAges: but we’d have fun _

_ bowling queen: sure, why not _

_ bowling queen: I can meet you there, is 7 still okay _

_ FlockOfAges: yeah, sure it’s a date _

 

Fero hit send and then dropped his phone, watching in horror as ‘seen 3:45pm’ appeared next to his message. 

 

_ bowling queen: :) _

 

\--

 

Across campus, Hella dropped her head down on her book. A  _ date _ ? And then she sent a  _ smiley face _ ? 

 

She sighed. “Just terrible, Varal.”

 

_ T-dog: So: a date? _

_ bowling queen: unless you have outfit suggestions I don’t want to hear it _

 

\--

 

Lem knocked on Fero’s open door. “So, uh, I saw, in the group chat--”

 

Fero made a face at Lem in the mirror. “I  _ know, _ okay.”

 

“So you  _ do _ like-like Hella.”

 

Fero groaned, flopping backwards onto the bed. “What am I going to  _ do _ ?”

 

“Go on a date with her, I suppose.”

 

Fero made a strangled noise, covering his face with his hands. Lem sat down on the bed next to Fero, bumping Fero’s leg with his hip.

 

“I’d think you’d be pleased,” said Lem, “after all,  _ you _ wanted to have dinner with her.”

 

“But why’d I have to say it was a  _ date _ ?” said Fero, his voice partially muffled by his hands.

 

“Wasn’t that the point?” said Lem.

 

“Yeah, but now it’s all,” Fero waved a hand, “official. I’m not good with  _ official _ .”

 

“Well, maybe she won’t think you meant it like that,” said Lem.

 

Fero made a face. “She sent back a  _ smiley face _ Lem.”

 

“Oh,” said Lem, “yes, you’re right. Well.”

 

“Yeah,” said Fero. 

 

He blinked up at the ceiling for a moment before he sighed, sitting up and leaning slightly against Lem’s shoulder.

 

“I guess have to wear something nice for this, huh?”

 

Lem huffed a laugh. “That is normally standard date practice, yes.”

 

\--

 

Hella stared at her wardrobe. She'd been standing in front of it for a while. Occasionally she'd half-pull something out, only to push it back in again with a sigh. Everything seemed either too casual or too third-date-y.

 

She looked at the clock and sighed. “Fuck it.”

 

She pulled out a red dress from the back of her wardrobe. Date or not, she looked great in this dress. If it was a date, then good, she'd look nice on her date. If it wasn't a date, then at least she'd be wearing a knockout of a dress. 

 

\--

 

_ non-historical king: I still think you should have gone with a different shirt _

_ FlockOfAges: this shirt is Fun And Flirty and, most importantly, Unofficial _

_ FlockOfAges: this shirt says Fun Casual Hangout  _

_ FlockOfAges: this shirt says I'm An Easy Going Dude _

_ non-historical king: I think the shirt is talking too much _

 

Fero turned his phone over in his hands, glancing up every few moments to check for Hella's arrival. He glanced down at his shirt, and the brightly colored birds stared back at him. Lem didn't know what he was talking about, this shirt was great, this shirt was funny, Hella liked that he was a funny guy, probably, since it was a good quality he had and-- oh no. 

 

Oh no. 

 

He spotted Hella before she spotted him. She was wearing a red dress that fluttered around her thighs as she walked. He momentarily forgot to breathe.

 

His shirt instantly seemed less funny. Decidedly  _ un _ funny actually. The birds on his shirt looked a little rueful, like they were taking Lem's side in the argument now. He stepped back, trying to hide behind one of the big potted plants. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: i have made a mistake, please bring me a different shirt _

_ FlockOfAges: didn't your shirt have a whole speech to give to hella _

_ FlockOfAges: she's wearing a dress lem _

_ FlockOfAges: A DRESS _

_ FlockOfAges: this shirt can't speak to her dress _

 

“Fero?” said Hella. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: 2 late, I'm spotted _

_ non-historical king: in that shirt, I'm not surprised  _

_ non-historical king: good luck _

 

“Hi, hey, hello,” said Fero, “I was just uh, texting Lem.”

 

“Huh” said Hella, “usually when he's with Emmanuel I don't get a reply for hours.”

 

“Oh, yeah, weird,” said Fero quickly, “Anyway, did you want to go in?”

 

Hella gave him an odd look. “Sure.”

 

Fero almost offered Hella his arm as they turned to enter the restaurant before catching himself and turning the motion into a quick stretch above his head. Totally casual. Hella wasn’t even looking at him anyway, face tilted up to the sign above the door.

 

\--

 

As they turned towards the restaurant, Fero stretched his arms above his head. His (ridiculous, terrible, hilarious) shirt rode up slightly, revealing a sliver of skin. Hella felt her cheeks flush and quickly looked away, hoping Fero wouldn’t notice her expression.

 

They found a table by the window-- the waiter had offered them a spot up the back, but the only people in those booths were Couples On Dates and Hella had panicked. She knew Fero preferred a window seat anyway, since he liked to watch people as they went by, pointing out small dogs for Hella’s amusement.

 

Hella was just telling herself that this was no different to the other times she and Fero had hung out without people, trying to get herself to  _ relax _ (Was this how she normally sat? Or was it further back?) when her foot accidentally brushed against Fero’s under the table. Hella stood up quickly.

 

“I’m going to get a drink, do you want anything?”

 

Fero shook his head. Hella walked quickly to the bar, trying to ignore the flush of heat on the back of her neck as she went.

 

\--

 

Fero waited until Hella was at the bar before he signalled frantically to a waiter. 

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“Yeah, give me your shirt,” said Fero quickly, peering around the waiter to make sure Hella was still at the bar. 

 

“Give you  _ what _ ?”

 

“Listen, this is an emergency,” said Fero, “I'm on a date. A first date. Impressions are important, so I need your shirt.”

 

“You chose that shirt for a first date?”

 

“I didn't know it was a date until I got here,” hissed Fero, “come on, help me out here.”

“Sorry, I'm pretty sure it's against the restaurant’s policy for me to be shirtless,” said the waiter, not seeming sorry at all. “You'll have to live with your choice, Margaritaville.”

 

“Oh come on--” 

 

The waiter moved on, revealing Hella standing behind them. 

 

“Um,” said Fero. 

 

“If you wanted shirtless waiters, we could’ve gone to another restaurant,” said Hella. 

 

Hella sat down, pushing a drink in front of him and taking a small sip of her own. 

 

“I uh, thought this shirt would be funny but it kind of seems less funny now that I have to commit to a whole dinner wearing it,” said Fero, feeling himself flush.

 

Hella laughed. “It is funny.” She paused. “But if you really don’t want to keep wearing it I can help you take it off later.”

 

Fero felt himself go red and Hella casually took another sip of her drink. He picked up the menu, trying to hide his face from view. 

 

“So, uh, what's good here?” asked Fero, voice cracking slightly, “You know, food-wise.”

 

\--

 

Hella was glad Fero put his menu in between them so he couldn't see her blush. She hadn't meant that the way it sounded. Or, she  _ had _ but she hadn't meant to say it  _ aloud  _ where Fero could  _ hear  _ her. 

 

“I mean, we go here all the time, but I feel like we never really read the menu, you know?” Fero was saying from behind his menu, “We never really get into it.”

 

Hella shrugged. “I'll probably get the same thing I usually get.”

 

“ _ Hella,”  _ said Fero, dropping his menu to put his hand over his chest.

 

Hella laughed. “You do this every time and then you get, like, one of five things and then steal my fries.”

 

“I just want to  _ try  _ them,” said Fero, “to see if they're good for next time.”

 

“Uh huh,” said Hella, grinning over at him. 

 

Fero grinned back. “Hey, I mean, you never know, right?”

 

“Yeah,” said Hella, “yeah I guess you never know.”

 

She laid her menu down purposefully, putting her hand down on the table, palm facing up, keeping her posture as casual as possible. 

 

Fero cleared his throat, reaching for his water glass. He did not take her hand, but Hella left it there, just in case. 

 

\--

 

Fero could see Hella's hand, right there on the table. 

 

_ Just reach over,  _ thought Fero, trying to make his thoughts sound encouraging,  _ just put your hand on top of her hand, just lay it right on there, come on. _

 

His hand twitched. 

 

“So, what can I get you guys?” said a waiter.

 

Fero jumped, his seat rocking back a little. He flailed his arms, almost falling out of his seat. Hella grabbed his sleeve, pulling him upright. 

 

“I'll uh, I'll just five you guys another minute?” said the waiter.

 

“That would be great, thanks,” said Hella, not looking away from Fero. 

 

Her hand was still holding his sleeve. 

 

_ Just move your hand _ , Fero told himself firmly.

 

“Um, thanks,” said Fero. 

 

“Hey, no problem,” said Hella.

 

She sat back, folding her hand on top of the menu. 

 

_ Dammit _ , thought Fero. 

 

\--

 

_ Dammit _ , thought Hella,  _ should have just grabbed his goddamn hand.  _

 

\--

 

It took Fero a while to slip into what felt like anything close to normal conversation. He kept second-guessing his choice of words, stumbling over sentences that should have felt ordinary. He tried to stop himself from fidgeting, only to find that his leg was jigging under the table or that his hand was twitching over his knife and fork. 

 

Hella seemed as relaxed as ever, leaning back in her chair and glancing behind him towards the kitchen. The light shone off her short red hair. 

 

He should say something about it, about how it looked nice. She wasn't doing anything new with it, though, so maybe that would be weird to say. Then again, he always thought it looked nice. Maybe it was weird the other times he'd seen her and  _ hadn't  _ said something nice about her hair. 

 

“Food's taking a while huh?”

 

Fero shook himself out of his thoughts. “Uh, yeah, I guess. You hungry?”

 

Hella made a face. “Well, yeah. But I meant… you seem like you need to get out of here.”

 

Fero froze, hands fluttering down to his lap to twist together where Hella couldn't see. “What do you mean?”

 

“You're…” Hella waved a hand, searching for the words. “You're more  _ you _ than normal. Did you forget to take your meds again?”

 

Fero snorted. “Wow, thanks.”

 

“Sorry, you know what I mean,” said Hella. “You should have said if you had something else going on, I wouldn't have been like,  _ offended. _ The other two bailed, so we could have just done this whenever.”

 

“But then it wouldn't have been just us,” said Fero. 

 

His mouth snapped shut. That was such a stupid way to put it. 

 

“Well, yeah,” said Hella slowly.

 

“I just mean, um,” said Fero, twisting the bottom of his shirt with his sweaty hands, “we only ever hang out as like, a group. And I'm always like  _ hey that Hella, wonder what she's thinking  _ but I never get to really, like, get  _ into _ it because there's always someone else there yammering on, y’know?”

 

The corners of Hella's mouth twitched. “You want to know what I'm thinking?”

 

Fero leant forward, resting his elbows on the table, an exaggerated picture of interest. “Only all the  _ time,  _ Hella. What's going on in that head of yours?”

 

“I think the only person who's ever asked me that question has been my mom when I got in some kind of trouble,” said Hella. 

 

Fero made a face. “I'm not your  _ mom _ .”

 

“You're definitely not,” said Hella. 

 

Hella glanced down and Fero's eyes followed hers. The way his arms were stretched out across the table towards her, their hands were  _ almost  _ touching. He couldn't breathe from the almost-feeling of body heat. 

 

_ “ _ House burger?” said the waiter. 

 

Fero flinched, moving back to his own side of the table. 

 

“That's me,” said Hella. 

 

“And pasta special,” said the waiter, setting down Fero's meal. 

 

Fero fidgeted with his fork for a moment, trying to collect himself enough to act normally. 

 

“Hey,” said Hella. 

 

Fero looked up. 

 

“Careful you don't get any sauce on your fun shirt.”

 

Fero put a hand over his heart, gasping in mock-offence. 

 

“You know, just for that--”

 

He reached forward and grabbed a handful of her fries. 

 

“Hey!” said Hella, laughing. 

 

“It's the making fun of my shirt tax,” said Fero. 

 

“Oh well, in  _ that _ case,” said Hella. 

 

She picked up another handful, putting them on top of Fero's spaghetti.

 

“Because I am  _ definitely  _ going to make fun of that shirt more later,” said Hella grinning. 

 

“I asked Lem to bring me another shirt when I got here,” said Fero. 

 

Hella smiled. “I'm really glad he didn't. The shirt is great.”

 

Fero grinned. “Yeah?”

 

“I mean, it's awful,” said Hella, “but it's great. I'm glad you wore it.”

 

“You know,” said Fero, “me too.”

 

\--

By the time they got to the end of the dinner, Hella has actually been able to make herself relax enough that she could almost forget it was (maybe) a date. They bumped arms as they walked back to her car, laughter echoing in the parking garage. 

 

Fero fiddled with the radio station most of the ride, which Hella was grateful for. It meant that she didn't have to think about what she was going to do next. And what Fero was going to do next. 

 

Hella pulled up out the front of Fero and Lem's house. The street was dark except for a streetlight on the corner and the weak lights from people's windows. 

 

“Thanks, um, thanks for the ride,” said Fero. 

 

He didn't make any move to get out of the car, hands fiddling with the bottom of his shirt. 

 

Hella licked her lips. “Hey. It's dark. I'll, uh, I can walk you to your door? For safety, or whatever.”

 

Fero nodded. “Safety. Sure.”

 

They didn't speak as they walked up the short path to Fero's door. Hella felt very aware of how close their bodies were, just far away enough that any brushing of their hands would have felt entirely too deliberate. 

 

“So, uh,” said Fero. He pressed his lips together. She could barely make out his expression in the darkness. “Good dinner.”

 

“Yeah,” said Hella, “We should do it again sometime.”

 

“Yeah,” said Fero, “wait, just-- an  _ us _ dinner?”

 

Hella smiled, glad the darkness that his Fero's expression also hid the flush on her cheeks. “Yeah. A just-us dinner.”

 

“Cool, that--yeah,” said Fero, “that'd be… good.”

 

Hella nodded. She heard Fero take a deep breath, and waited. He didn't say anything else. 

 

“Well, I'm gonna… go,” said Hella. 

 

“Oh! Yeah! Sure!!” said Fero, “Uh--”

 

He stepped forward quickly, wrapping his arms around her. Their difference in height meant the he pressed his face awkwardly into her shoulder. After a moment, Hella putting her arms around him, running her hands down his back. She felt him flinch at the sudden movement. He took a quick step back, hands scrambling for the door handle. 

 

“So I'll uh, I'll see you later, or whatever?” said Fero, his voice strained. 

 

“I-- sure,” said Hella. 

 

And just like that, Hella was standing alone on the darkened piece of Lem and Fero's front porch alone, the feeling of the warmth of Fero's arms fading quickly in the night air. 

 

She ran a hand through her hair, letting out a long breath. “Oooh-kay.”

 

\--

 

Fero leant back against the door, pushing his weight against it and tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. 

 

“What,” said Fero, “the fuck.”

 

\--

 

Hadrian was curled up on the couch with Rosana when Hella got home, a movie playing on low volume of Hadrian's laptop. Rosana was asleep, her arms loosely around Hadrian's waist.

 

“Hey,” said Hadrian softly, “how was your dinner?”

 

“Fine,” said Hella. “Totally fine.”

 

She walked quickly to her bedroom before he could ask anything else. 

 

\--

 

When Fero woke up the next morning he felt like he’d had a lot of dreams, but all he could remember from them was red fabric slipping through his fingers.

 

\--

 

Hella woke early, feeling full of restless energy. She stared up at the ceiling, drumming her fingers on her stomach, trying not to think about the previous night. 

 

She sighed, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed before she hunted around for her workout gear. Hella crept out of her room, closing the door as softly as possible to avoid waking Hadrian (and Rosana who had probably stayed over). She inhaled deeply as she stepped outside, watching the fog of her breath before it disappeared as she headed up the hill.

 

Jogging was easy, the slow burn of her muscles and the rhythm of pulling air into her lungs pushed out all other thoughts. 

 

When she got back to her door though, those thoughts were waiting for her in the form of a text from Fero. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: hey _

 

Hella's eyes flicked to the timestamp. Fero wasn't normally awake this early. Hella bit her lip, thinking for a moment before she typed her reply. 

 

_ bowling queen: hey _

_ FlockOfAges: so I was thinking  _

_ FlockOfAges: dinner without a mountain of people around was pretty fun _

_ FlockOfAges: right?  _

_ bowling queen: yeah it was _

 

Hella paused, trying to think of a word that wasn't loaded with additional meaning. 

 

_ bowling queen: yeah it was good _

_ FlockOfAges: yeah!!  _

_ FlockOfAges: so I was thinking next time we do bowling _

_ FlockOfAges: two pros facing off against each other _

_ FlockOfAges: the final battle between champions  _

_ FlockOfAges: ???????? thoughts ??? _

 

Hella made a face at her phone at ‘between champions’, laughing to herself as she imagined Fero's mock-wounded expression at her disbelief. 

 

She remembered Fero pressed against her side, trying to show her how to bowl. 

 

Yeah, bowling sounded good. 

 

\--

 

Fero rolled onto his back on the couch, his arm stretched above him as he typed. 

 

_ bowling queen: one on one?  _

_ FlockOfAges: yeah _

_ FlockOfAges: THE ULTIMATE BATTLE _

_ bowling queen: no I meant like _

_ bowling queen: just the two of us for bowling _

_ FlockOfAges: oh _

_ FlockOfAges: yeah _

_ FlockOfAges: unless you want the others there _

_ bowling queen: nah, I can take you on my own _

_ bowling queen: unless you think you need back up to beat me _

_ FlockOfAges: NO I CAN TAKE YOU _

_ bowling queen: sure _

_ FlockOfAges: I CAN AND I WILL _

_ bowling queen: I guess we'll see about that _

_ bowling queen: it's a date _

_ FlockOfAges: yeah!!  _

 

Fero hit send before he registered her second message. 

 

“Oh  _ no _ ,” said Fero, loudly. 

 

Lem poked his head in from the kitchen. “What happened?”

 

“Hella and I have  _ another  _ date,” said Fero. 

 

“Oh no,” said Lem flatly, “a date with the person you like. Sounds terrible.”

 

“It was an accident!” said Fero. 

 

Lem hummed disbelievingly. 

 

“It was!” said Fero. “Anyways, friends can go bowling together!”

 

“Sure,” said Lem, “But I think when those two friends have crushes on each other it's called a date.”

 

“Yeah but that's not-- wait, does Hella like me?”

 

Lem disappeared back into the kitchen. Fero pulled himself up to lean over the back of the couch. 

 

“Lem, come on! Did she saying something to you? Was it about my shirt?”

 

\--

 

_ T-dog: so _

_ T-dog: I heard you have another date  _

_ T-dog: ;) _

_ bowling queen: hadrian needs to learn to keep his goddamn mouth shut _

_ bowling queen: and anyway, I'm not sure if it IS a date _

_ bowling queen: I'm not even sure the last time was a time tbh _

_ T-dog: I thought he said it was a date?  _

_ bowling queen: yeah but _

_ bowling queen: we HUGGED goodbye _

_ bowling queen: like I dropped him home and he was like ‘bye’ and hugged me and VANISHED _

_ bowling queen: he wouldn't even hold my hand _

_ bowling queen: whatever this is so stupid _

_ T-dog: what do you mean he wouldn't hold hands, I've seen Fero hold hands with you before _

_ bowling queen: yeah like as a joke, not at a dinner where it's just us _

_ bowling queen: I mean we've never hung out just us but whatever  _

_ bowling queen: I can't believe I agreed to do this again, I'm going to bail _

_ T-dog: don't!!! He was just nervous  _

_ bowling queen: he didn't seem nervous  _

_ T-dog: well _

_ bowling queen: what do you know _

_ bowling queen: throndir _

_ T-dog: Lem texted Hadrian and Hadrian texted me _

_ bowling queen: don't you people have your own lives _

_ T-dog: because Hadrian said Lem said Fero was freaking out _

_ bowling queen: wait really?  _

_ T-dog: something about needing a better shirt?  _

 

Hella grinned down at her phone. 

 

_ bowling queen: it was a very dumb shirt _

_ T-dog: does this mean you're not bailing  _

_ bowling queen: maybe _

 

\--

 

_ bowling queen: hey when you said its a date did you mean it's a DATE or what _

_ FlockOfAges: what did you mean when you said it _

_ bowling queen: I mean what I say _

_ FlockOfAges is typing…  _

 

Fero paced around his room swearing under his breath, typing and then deleting, trying to find the right balance of words. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: I mean what I say too!!  _

 

That wasn't really true, and Hella would see through that in a second. He didn't want her to think he was joking, laughing at her behind a screen. Delete. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: I meant it was a date sorry I got too nervous to make a move I  _

 

Stupid, and weirdly aggressive. Delete. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: I meant I wanted to get to know you outside of a group thing where I could talk to you properly. that's what a date is right?  _

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Fero flinched, holding his phone to his chest. He swung around, glaring up at Lem. 

 

“None of your business!”

 

“Texting Hella, huh?” said Lem, leaning on the doorframe, “how's that going?”

 

“It's-- shut up is how it's going,” said Fero.

 

Fero's phone pinged softly and he tilted it away from his chest. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: I meant I wanted to get to know you outside of a group thing where I could talk to you properly. that's what a date is right?hgfjgffddyuh _

_ [seen: 4:46pm] _

_ bowling queen: yeah I guess _

 

“Oh my god,” said Fero.

 

_ FlockOfAges: sorry lem like jumped out of nowhere  _

_ bowling queen: yeah hadrian's being a real weirdo about this too _

 

Fero laughed. 

 

“What?” said Lem suspiciously. 

 

“None of your business,” said Fero. “Date stuff.”

 

\--

 

_ Hadrian, Velas College Soccer Captain, Third Year Business Major and Key Club President: Whatever you did it worked _

_ non-historical king: I don't know that I did anything  _

_ non-historical king: oh he's just unbearable now, I wish he'd go back to just muttering to himself _

_ T-dog: no you don't!!! _

_ A.DuCarte: you're all ridiculous  _

_ A.DuCarte: keep me updated _

 

\--

 

Fero hummed to himself as he rifled through his closet, tossing aside shirts (too formal), sweaters (too warm for bowling), and flour-covered tshirts (huge, might actually be Lem's, oops). He was going on a date with Hella, just him and Hella on a date doing a fun thing, together.

 

Lem banged on his door. “Some of us are trying to  _ sleep _ you know.”

 

“Oh, come on,” said Fero. “I'm being so quiet, you're kept awake by the rustling of clothes now?”

 

Lem opened the door. Fero let out a bark of laughter at the sight of Lem's hair, sticking up at wild angles. 

 

“Fero, please. I have an early class.”

 

“You have an 11 o’clock class,” said Fero, “and anyway, I am being quiet.”

 

“No, you're not!” said Lem, “you've been singing loudly to yourself while you throw things around for the past hour.”

 

“Oh,” said Fero, pausing his movements, his hand still tangled in a large t-shirt. “I didn't notice.”

 

“You didn't--!” Lem sighed, running a hand through his tangled hair. “Listen, I'm really glad you're so excited about tomorrow, but--”

 

“Thanks!” said Fero grinning up at him. “I'm glad you're repaying me for how nice  _ I  _ am when you get all goofy about Emmanuel.”

 

Lem crossed his arms. “After I had my first date with Emmanuel you threw pillows at me until I agreed to stop talking.”

 

“Yeah, after you'd spent all morning going  _ Emmanuel this _ and  _ talented baker's hands that _ ,” said Fero, shaking a shirt at Lem for emphasis.

 

Lem pressed his lips together. “He  _ does  _ have nice hands.”

 

Fero threw the shirt at Lem's head, and Lem laughed. He moved to throw it back at Fero, then paused. 

 

“Wait a minute. This is my shirt.”

 

“Oh, yeah,” said Fero, turning to keep rifling through the pile of clothes on the ground in front of him, “there's a couple things that are probably yours in here somewhere. Or Throndir's maybe? I dunno, I'm too busy to sort it but you can just grab it if it looks like yours.”

 

“Fero,” said Lem slowly, “what  _ are  _ you doing right now?”

 

Fero didn't look up. “Picking what I'm going to wear tomorrow.”

 

“Tomorrow, Fero, come on it's--” Lem sighed. He took a step into the room, putting his hand on Fero's shoulder. “It's late.”

 

“I don't feel tired.”

 

“It's like 1am,” said Lem, “I'm trying to stop you feeling so tired tomorrow.”

 

“I'll be fine,” said Fero, shaking off Lem's hand. “I don't feel tired enough to lie down yet, okay?”

 

“Okay,” said Lem. 

 

Lem left the room. Fero hunched his shoulder inward, looking back down at the shirt in his hands. He breathed a sigh of relief as Lem came back into his room, holding a glass of water and Fero’s medicine bottle. Fero nodded quietly in thanks, taking his medication and setting the glass down away from the clothes pile. Lem smiled before sitting down on the bed, pulling out items of clothes and folding them loosely. 

 

“I thought you were  _ tired, _ ” said Fero.

 

“I am,” said Lem, “but it seems like maybe you could use the company.”

 

“I'm  _ fine _ ,” said Fero. 

 

Lem hummed, continuing to fold clothes haphazardly, arranging them in stacks. 

 

“I just--” Fero waved a hand, “I don't don't know what I'm doing here.”

 

“Neither do I,” said Lem, “you do realise you have a closet to put clothes in, right? Rather than keeping them in a big pile.”

 

“Not that,” said Fero. “I mean like. Dating-wise.”

 

“I've seen you go on dates, and you didn't get like this before, um,” said Lem. He paused, thinking for a moment. “before you went out with that guy from Calhoun's party, or that roller derby captain, what's her name--”

 

“Gloria,” said Fero, not looking up, “and this is  _ different _ .”

 

Lem tilted his head to one side. “Why?”

 

“Because it's  _ Hella _ ,” said Fero, “it’s-- she's-- y’know. We're friends. So it's different. I want her to like me.”

 

“I think she does, I mean, she agreed to go out you a second time after you wore that shirt.”

 

“But I want her to  _ keep  _ liking me after this,” said Fero. He looked down, his fingers curling in the fabric of the shirt. “That's the part I'm not so great at.”

 

Lem paused, putting his arm awkwardly around Fero's shoulders. Fero leant into him despite the weird angle. Lem's body was warm and helped him ignore the buzzing, twitching feeling in his muscles.

 

“I'll give you the same advice you gave me before my first date with Emmanuel,” said Lem, “You're going to do fine. She already likes you, so the hard part's over.”

 

Fero paused. “That advice sucks.”

 

Lem huffed a laugh. “Yes. But it was still true. And it'll be true for you too. Besides, I’ll always stick around.”

 

Fero nodded. “That you will.”

 

\--

 

Hella sat in front of her closet, considering her options. Rosana had knocked on her door earlier in the day, hesitantly offering her lipstick advice. Adaire had texted, unprompted, offering her opinion on what Hella should wear. Hadrian had offered to drive her there, which had at least been something that had made her laugh.

 

She hadn’t really felt nervous before. Now, thinking about everyone weighing in, wishing her luck, waiting for news of how it all went--  _ now _ she felt nervous.

 

They were going bowling but according to Adaire, Hella  _ couldn’t _ wear the same thing she normally wore. She supposed Adaire had a point-- this was a date, not another group hang out-- but it did mean she had to  _ think _ about it now instead of grabbing something clean she could move around in.

 

“Whatever,” said Hella aloud to herself, “I look great in everything anyway.”

 

She went to pull out a pair of black leggings and a jacket came out with them. She shook it out, ready to push it back in, then paused. The back of the jacket was covered in iron-on patches of birds. It reminded her a little of the shirt Fero had been wearing at dinner.

 

She pulled the jacket on. It fit a little oddly, sleeves a little long for her and the shoulders a little small. (That made sense, since it  _ definitely _ wasn’t her jacket-- it might have been Throndir’s.) She turned, peering at the images of birds in the mirror. 

 

She wondered if Fero would think she was making fun of him if she wore this jacket. She was, a little, because that shirt had been awful but also… also she’d liked it. She’d liked that it had been awful but he’d worn it anyway to try and make her laugh, even though he’d been flustered over it. She’d liked the way he’d grinned at her from across the table in it as she teased him.

 

_ bowling queen: hey I think I have your jacket _

_ bowling queen: it’s denim and it has a bunch of birds on it _

_ T-dog: yeah that’s mine!! Thanks, I’ve been looking for it everywhere. I thought I’d lost it at RJ’s place or something _

_ bowling queen: can I borrow it _

_ T-dog: for your date? _

_ bowling queen: does everyone know my exact movements now _

_ bowling queen: is hadrian live texting everyone _

_ T-dog: no I just figured _

_ T-dog: it doesn’t seem like your usual style _

 

Hella pounded on Hadrian’s door. He opened it a moment later, frowning at her.

 

“Stop telling people about my life,” said Hella.

 

“What,” said Hadrian.

 

“You know what I’m talking about,” said Hella, “stop telling everyone.”

 

Hadrian’s frown deepened. “You don’t want people to know that you’re going on a date with Fero?”

 

“I don’t care if they know,” said Hella. “That’s not the point.”

 

“Then why does it matter if I tell people?”

 

“Because I don’t want to hear about it forever if we don’t go out again,” snapped Hella, “the more people who know, the more people that are going to want an explanation if we go back to just being friends. It’s annoying.”

 

“People won’t do that,” said Hadrian.

 

“People still ask me why  _ we  _ aren’t still together and we broke up in junior year of  _ high school _ ,” said Hella.

 

“That’s-- yeah, okay, but this is different,” said Hadrian. “This is just your friends, and they just want to know what’s happening because they’re excited for you.”

 

“They can be excited for me without having to know every single detail of my life,” said Hella.

 

“So it’s not a secret,” said Hadrian. “But you don’t want anyone to know anything about it.”

 

“I don’t care if they know! I just don’t want to feel like everyone’s  _ watching _ me do this when it might not-- Whatever.”

 

Hadrian touched her shoulder as she turned to leave, and she paused.

 

“Hey,” said Hadrian awkwardly, “are you… you know?”

 

“Am I what?”

 

Hadrian shifted his feet awkwardly. “I mean, do you...like him?”

 

Hella tensed. “Sure.”

 

“No, but I mean,” Hadrian paused, making an odd motion with his hand. “Do you  _ like _ him?”

 

“Sure,” said Hella again.

 

“ _ Hella _ ,” huffed Hadrian.

 

Hella rolled her eyes. “What do you want me to say? We’re friends, now we’re going on a date, so, sure, I like him.”

 

“So it’s not… serious,” said Hadrian.

 

“This is our  _ second  _ date,” said Hella, “or first, if you don’t count the dinner. So.”

 

Hadrian nodded, then frowned again. “Wait. Does that mean it  _ is _ serious or it isn’t?”

 

“I think I need more than two days to figure that out,” said Hella, “especially since people won’t  _ leave me alone _ about what I’m supposed to be wearing and saying and doing.”

 

“Okay, okay,” said Hadrian, holding up his hands. “I didn’t think it would be such a big deal if people knew. It’s not usually.”

 

“Well I’m not going on dates with  _ Fero _ usually,” said Hella. She pressed her lips together.

 

“Oh,” said Hadrian, after a moment.

 

“Yeah,” said Hella. She swallowed hard. “Yeah, so if you could tell people to mind their own business for once--”

 

“Yeah, no, absolutely, sure,” said Hadrian. “Do you want any, uh, advice, or like, a pep talk--”

 

Hella huffed a laugh. “No thanks.”

 

“Right,” said Hadrian, “Right, okay.”

 

Hella turned to go.

 

“Hey,” said Hadrian, “isn’t that Throndir’s jacket?”

 

“I’m borrowing it,” said Hella.

 

“Sure,” said Hadrian, “because of Fero’s shirt.”

 

Hella huffed a laugh. “Keep it to yourself Hadrian.”

 

“I’ll try,” said Hadrian.

 

_ T-dog: I didn’t mean the jacket wouldn’t suit you!! _

_ bowling queen: whatever I’ll look great in it _

_ T-dog: yeah you will!!!! You’re going to have a great time!!!!!!! _

 

\--

 

Fero rocked back and forth on his heels nervously, waiting for Hella. He scrolled through their texts, checking and rechecking the time. He couldn’t see her car in the parking lot but maybe she'd taken the bus, maybe she was waiting for him inside, thinking he'd stood her up… Fero looked behind him to the doors, wondering if he should go in, just in case.

 

“Hey,” said Hella. 

 

Fero whipped back around. “Hey! Hello!”

 

“Hi,” said Hella, grinning at him. 

 

“Hey,” said Fero again, grinning back. 

 

“No crazy shirt this time?” said Hella. 

 

“I'm saving it to wear to celebrate my bowling victory,” said Fero. 

 

“That's a shame,” said Hella, “I guess you won't get to wear it for a while.”

 

“Oh yeah?” said Fero, “We'll see about  _ that _ , let's  _ go _ !”

 

Hella laughed, holding the door open for him. There was a moment, right after Hella stepped through the door behind him, that Fero realised that another hand holding opportunity had passed him by. He cleared his throat nervously. 

 

“So, uh, you wanna get food first, or what?”

 

“Food after? Loser buys dinner,” said Hella. “I mean, that's how we normally do it, right?”

 

“Right,” said Fero, turning towards the shoe hire desk. 

 

\--

 

While Fero was distracted, leaning over the counter to point at the shoes he wanted (she could almost see Lem's rolled eyes about it, he did this every time), Hella turned away slightly, pulling out her phone. 

 

_ T-dog: How's it going? _

_ bowling queen: still no hand holding _

_ T-dog: :( _

_ bowling queen: yeah _

 

\--

 

_ FlockOfAges: hey so when you're on a bowling date how charming is it to lose _

_ non-historical king: I mean she has seen you bowl before, you're probably good _

 

Fero looked up from his phone. Hella had stepped away, leaning against the side of the booth to talk to Calhoun and Brandish, both of whom were holding bowling balls. Calhoun said something, and Hella laughed. Fero fought the urge to glare at them. 

 

_ FlockOfAges: calhoun and brandish are BOTH here _

_ non-historical king: oh _

_ FlockOfAges: YEAH _

_ FlockOfAges: so my new question is how charming is it to lose of a date where two of ur date's exs are pro-bowling on the lane nxt to urs  _

_ non-historical king: just _

_ non-historical king: relax _

_ FlockOfAges: YOU RELAX _

_ non-historical king: relax and stop messaging me, go talk to hella  _

 

Fero looked down as Hella turned back towards him, pretending to be engrossed in inputting their names into the worn keyboard. 

 

“Calhoun wanted to do a competition,” said Hella. 

 

“Oh,” said Fero. 

 

“Yeah, I told him no,” said Hella. “I don't need to be in a doubles team in order to kick your ass.”

 

Fero laughed, maybe a touch too loud. At least now it’d only be a side by side comparison instead of a direct one. 

 

Behind him, he heard the sound of Calhoun scoring a strike. Fero winced. 

 

\--

 

Fero was oddly quiet as they picked out bowling balls. Hella hoped he wasn't getting weird about seeing Calhoun and Brandish. They weren't even really exs, just a fooling around in between classes thing. So maybe her and Calhoun got a  _ little _ more complicated, with her helping him out after he ran away from home, and then his sister… whatever. God, she hoped Fero wasn't going to be shitty about this. 

 

Hella bumped their arms together. “Hey.”

 

Fero gave her a quick smile before looking back down. Hella was sure she had never seen him give anything as much consideration as he was giving the shelves of bowling balls. 

 

“We don't  _ have _ to do this as a competition,” said Hella. “We could just play. If you wanted.”

 

“Oh,  _ scared _ I'm going to win?”

 

Hella snorted. “No.”

 

Fero looked up at her sharply. There was an odd tightness to his shoulders now. Hella suddenly wished for the easy trash talking they'd done outside. 

 

“Hey, it's just a suggestion,” said Hella, keeping her voice light. “If you're okay with me kicking your ass at bowling here in front of everyone that's fine too.”

 

“You think I'm scared of them?” said Fero, “I'm not scared, after I win I'll beat them too.”

 

Hella felt irritation rise, hot and prickly in her chest. 

 

“You don't need to beat my exs at bowling for me to like you,” said Hella. “Just because they're better than you at bowling doesn't mean…”

 

“Doesn't mean what?” said Fero. 

 

He was twitchy in the way he got when she'd seen him argue with Lem, when their irritation at each other boiled over enough to poke at old wounds. She'd seen enough of them like this on road trips that she knew poking back wasn't going to make anything easier. Better to cut her losses and walk away. As always.

 

Hella took a deep breath, keeping her voice low and even. “If this is what the night is going to be like then I am leaving. You can bowl against yourself.”

 

Hella turned, spinning smoothly on her rental shoes, and walked away. 

 

\--

 

Fero's hand twitched as Hella turned. He drew it back before he made contact, feeling his cheeks burning. He looked down, tapping the tips of his too-big shoes together. 

 

Of course things were going to go this way, he thought, swallowing around the tightness in his throat. He'd seen Hella through plenty of datefriends and general hookups. Why would she be any more serious about him?

 

He'd been  _ hoping _ though. 

 

He looked up to see Hella push open the door to the bowling alley. Behind him, Calhoun and Brandish laughed. 

 

“No, actually, fuck this,” said Fero. 

 

He ran, passed the bowling shelves, past the shoe rental desk (the clerk yelled something at him that he  _ absolutely  _ ignored), out the door. Hella was almost at her car, looking down at her phone at she walked. 

 

Fero opened his mouth, then closed it again. He swallowed.

 

“ _ First _ of all,” said Fero loudly, making Hella jump and turn around to face him, “they're not better at bowling than me, I’ve been holding back my bowling skills out of respect to our friendship and also, that's super not why I'm even upset.”

 

Hella raised an eyebrow at him. 

 

“Okay it is ten percent, but  _ only _ ten percent.”

 

Hella raised her other eyebrow at him. 

 

“At  _ most  _ it's thirty percent,” said Fero, “but I'm only giving you that because I like you so much.”

 

Hella's expression changed into something unreadable. “You  _ like _ me?"

 

Fero blanched, feeling himself run hot and cold. "I thought this was a date!"

 

“That's what I thought!” said Hella, “but you wouldn't hold my hand!"

 

"I wanted to the whole time!” said Fero. “You could have held  _ my _ hand! I'll call Lem right now, he can back me up on this.”

 

“Oh yeah?” said Hella, “Well  _ I  _ can call Throndir right now and  _ he'll  _ back  _ me _ up about this, and I have the texts to prove it.”

 

She held up her phone, scrolling through texts too fast him to read. Fero held up his own phone, scrolling through at the same speed. 

 

The door behind them opened, and Hella and Fero both turned to stare at the person walking out. They held up their hands, raising their eyebrows at the two of them, before walking past them toward their car. 

 

Hella and Fero stared at one another for a moment. Hella huffed a laugh, lowering her phone. Fero did the same, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

“I just, uh,” said Fero, looking down and away, studying the tires of Hella’s car intently, “I didn’t want to, um, I didn’t want to push too hard about this being a thing. In case you didn’t. Want. Uh. Which is fine, because being friends with you is great! Like, really great, but um. I would like it. If we could be more than just a quick thing.”

 

“People aren’t normally that… careful around me. Or care about my feelings. Or think I have them,” said Hella.

 

Fero swallowed. “I-- Sometimes I do this thing where I talk a lot and it ruins stuff and I don’t know it’s even ruined until it’s too late.” 

 

“I’m not  _ fragile _ ,” said Hella. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

 

Fero took a breath in, steadying himself. “But I want to. And I want you to worry about me, too.”

 

“What if I’m not good at worrying about other people?” said Hella quietly.

 

Fero looked up. Hella had her arms wrapped around herself, phone clutched in white-knuckled hands.

 

“Hey,” said Fero, trying to summon a grin. “We can work on it together. You with worrying about me, and me with learning to shut up before it’s too much.”

 

“And if I can’t?”

 

“That’s fine too,” said Fero, “You’re pretty much perfect as-is.”

 

Hella gave him a small smile, her body relaxing a little against the car.

 

“And if  _ you _ can’t?”

 

Fero nodded, accepting her doubt in him as easy as breathing. 

 

“Well, we just keep trying anyway.” 

 

\--

 

“Did... “ Hella felt her cheeks warm but she powered through. “Did you really text Lem about wanting to hold my hand?”

 

Fero nodded. He took a step towards her. 

 

“Did you really text Throndir about--”

 

“Yes,” said Hella quickly. 

 

He took another step. He was only an arm’s length away from her now. 

 

“So,” said Fero. 

 

“So,” said Hella. 

 

(Later, they would both claim to be the person who'd made the first move. In the moment however, they were both sure they saw the other move first, reach out to bridge the gap between them with clasped hands.)

 

Fero's cheeks were flushed pink as he looked up at her. “Sorry I didn't do this sooner.”

 

Hella tucked a strand of hair behind his ear with her free hand, letting the touch linger. 

 

“Me too,” said Hella, “actually, there was something else too.”

 

She leant down, gently pressing her lips to his. Fero gasped against her mouth and she deepened the kiss, her hand tangling in his hair. Fero's free hand slid up her arm to rest on her shoulder, his fingertips brushing against her neck. Hella gasped, leaning their foreheads together. 

 

She looked down, smiling at their still-joined hands. 

 

“Are you… still wearing your rental shoes?” said Hella. 

 

Fero looked down. “Uh. Oops?”

 

“You know you're supposed to return those  _ before _ you leave, right?” said Hella, tone teasing. 

 

“Well, it wasn't like I could have stopped on the way out,” said Fero. “I had somewhere very important to be.”

 

“Oh yeah?” said Hella, grinning and she leant down to him again. “And where was that?”

 

Fero's lips brushed against hers as he spoke. “Right here.”

 

\---

 

They did end up getting dinner. Fero paid.

 

“Because I’m a  _ gentleman _ ,” he said, throwing down his card. 

 

Hella nodded.

 

“Also, I won,” Hella said, a small smile on her face.

 

“We didn’t even play!” Fero shot back, “We returned the shoes and left!” 

 

“I know.” Hella grabbed his hand again, tangling their fingers together. “But I won.”

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi: madelinestarr | mariusperkins


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